Iceland, Part IV: Sushi, Skógá

From Mývatn, we made our way to Akureyri, Iceland’s second largest city with a population of less than 20,000. It makes you rethink a bit what it means to live the “city life.” We had one of our nicest dinners at Rub23, a swanky sushi/seafood fusion restaurant so nice, in fact, it felt out of place in sleepy Akureyri. So if you ever find yourself in Northern Iceland, you know where to go to satisfy your hunger for fancy fish!

Our last big hike, and my personal favorite, was along the river Skógá (near Eyjafjallajökull) We started at the base, by Skógafoss, slowly making our way up to the highlands. The weather was perfect: lots of sunshine but not too hot. And the view, well, I’ll leave that for you to judge.

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is the tiny oddity found in Spain’s southern tip. It’s not often that you string the words British and Mediterranean together, but when you do, well, that’s when you get Gibraltar. Wedged between Andalusia and Morocco, the people here speak proper British English with a prominent Spanish flair. They also use pounds, but still drive on the right side of the road.

The giant cliff-like face of Gibraltar’s famous rock can be seen long before you reach the coastline. Upon reaching the border, we came across the most interesting airport I’ve seen to date–the runway intersects the only road connecting Spain with Gibraltar, so traffic must be stopped every time there’s a plane taking off or coming in. Apparently it’s considered the most dangerous airport in Europe.

We only spent a short afternoon there, which was filled up by a visit up the monumental rock of Gibraltar and fish & chips at Casemates Square. And despite the lack of time, the place left quite an impression in my mind. It seems like a relaxing and easygoing place, perfect for a short weekend vacation. So with that said, I don’t think I’m done with Gibraltar quite yet, but for now I’m quite happy to have gotten a preview.

Seville: City of Carmen

In March, life is nice in Seville. Unlike most of Europe, the streets are warmed up by the sun long before midday, and it’s the time when the azahar are just beginning to cover the town with their sweet fragrance. Underneath the shade of the Giralda, the townsfolk take their time enjoying tantalizing tapas. In the evening, the city becomes a sea of orange lights and chatter. And finally, in the cooler hours, that’s when the air really bustles over by the Alameda.

Norwegian Summer

Hallo! I’m checking in from Horten, Norway, where René and I are staying for a couple of days.

I had written out an entire blog entry last week before we left for vacation, but unfortunately it got deleted, and this has been the first opportunity I’ve had where I could really sit down, focus, and write. (Well, not entirely true…more like the first time I’ve been in the blogging mood.)

As mentioned, R and I are on vacation in Norway. We had just come down from four days in the Lofoten archipelago, to the north of Norway. But of course, I’ll let my pictures do most of the talking:

We stayed in a renovated fisherman’s cottage (rorbu) at Valen, on the edge of the town of Reine and near the island Sakrisøya.

Here’s a view of our rorbu from the side: it’s the one to the right.

Being next to the water, we had a great view from our window and patio/deck.

There was a lot of fish (tørrfisk) hanging near our cabin.

But where were the heads?

A little further down the road, well…we found them.

Shark heads too!

We walked to Sakrisøya to the east…

…and Reine to the west.

And no matter where we went, it was beautiful.

After a long stroll, it was nice to come home and relax a bit.

And each night, we were treated to a beautiful sunset out on the deck. (The sun set at around 10 PM here!)

Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves immensely!

So now we are down in Horten, with my Norwegian family. It’s been a lot of fun showing René my life here. It’s also the first time that I’ve shown anybody from outside the AFS network Horten, and Norway for that matter. In addition, we’ve spent the last two evenings in Pappa’s home brewery sampling his various batches of beer. (My favorite is hveteøl, or wheat beer.) Fun and tasty!

We still have two days here, and while tomorrow’s plans are uncertain, we will definitely be having the usual Pizza Night on Friday, as well as celebrating Mamma’s birthday. And now, I should get some sleep so I have enough energy for tomorrow. G’nite!

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Since the last time I’ve posted some big changes have happened: I have moved permanently out of Oslo and Norway, where I have lived for the past four months as an exchange student at the Norwegian School of Management. I have returned to Switzerland, and I’m spending winter vacation with my boyfriend at his place in rural German-speaking Switzerland. I’ve ordered a new pair of glasses!

I’ve also  spent a day in Winterthur, where I visited a potential workplace. (I’m looking to work there as a student consultant starting in January, where I’ll be writing instruction manuals for division operators and engineers.) I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll actually get to work this time.

Currently, however, I’m writing from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, which is probably the most American city I’ve seen in Europe. Now I know why they call it Mainhattan. The skyscrapers are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before here on the Old Continent. They really remind me of “home.”

After two days of shopping and unhealthy portions of good food, we head back to Grüeziland tomorrow.

I’m going to miss our cozy little room up in the attic though…it was very romantic!